Pt. 3 Byler angst. The party has long since disbanded, the dragon too overwhelming for a Paladin alone. No sorcerer to catch him this time.
AKA metaphorical dragon of guilt/internalized homophobia. Time: 11 hours. Wanted to make this Cleradin but I couldn't fit Will into the composition rip. Lyrics from: Morning Star - gjallarhornit
AU where Will never came out and Mike was Vecna'd in the finale.A summer after the group split up, Mike reaches a breaking point and goes to the quarry. Read last post for more context.
TW: suicide ‼️ AU where Will never came out, and Mike was Vecna’d in the finale. Henry’s words stick with him even years later, having solidified in his mind the moment he’d witnessed El’s sacrifice. Knowing deep down that if he had just been there for her, had been able to say that he loved her just one more time, that maybe she’d have made a different choice. That she’d still be here.
The summer after the friend group all go their separate ways, Mike commits at the quarry. Just a few days before Will planned to come out.
AU where Vecna has slowly been reviving himself through Will, destroying everyone’s memory of him in the process. When Henry’s thoughts become too frequent, he has to recruit Mike to do what Vecna won’t let him do to himself before it’s too late.
——
“And if I were strong enough, I’d have gone about this all differently. Would’ve hired someone, would’ve looked for a fight I wouldn’t win—“
“—woah, woah, woah, Will—“
“—but I’m just not. I’m not strong enough, okay, and I need-…” He clenches his fists at his sides, inhaling a sharp breath. “I just need it to be somebody I- I trust. Somebody I know won’t… let it hurt.”
The whole world feels frozen in place. Will slowly shuffles to his feet as Mike watches, wide-eyed. Watches as his best friend walks towards a rock only a few feet away from where they sat, looking for just a moment before pulling out the object that’d ruin everything.
“I need it to be you,” he pleads.
His sister’s shotgun.
Bonus:
“He’s taking more and more of me everyday. And it’s- just like when I was possessed all over again, except slower. Deeper.” Will’s face cringes in on itself and Mike wishes more than anything to reach out and hold him. Something he once didn’t have to think twice about. Now just the idea of it made his stomach feel like it’d flip inside out.
“And now it’s affecting not only me, but all of you. None of you remember. Not Mom, not Johnathon, not Lucas… He’s so engrained into myself that I don’t know what’s me and what’s him. It’s… disgusting,” he spits, lips quivering. Gripping the barrel of the gun even tighter to his chest.
“I feel disgusting.”
—
(I wrote 3k more words of angst and yearning but my writing is lowkey cringy so I’m probably keeping it locked in my notes app forever LMAO)
This is canon trust me. Place your votes now, does Will like Mike back 🎤💀 Byler-ified some sick art that inspired me by “danielcalmdown” on Instagram, check him out!
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